1001 for Orchestra and Prerecorded Electronics is a 9-minute retelling of Scheherazade, but through Scheherazade's eyes. Leanna's main compositional concern in this work is with time: Time as it relates to Scheherazade's storytelling to save her life, time as it relates to how the music unfolds, and time as it relates to the stories we tell ourselves.
Fascinated by the story of Scheherazade, Leanna wondered what Scheherazade’s life must have been like – To be a great storyteller whose existence depended on the quality of her narratives. Finishing one story only to start the next in a seamless flow to prolong living. Hard to imagine what it’s like to live in fear of the man you share a bed. This story is especially resonant in today’s climate, and is one of the reasons she was so compelled to write the work.
To illustrate Scheherazade’s emotional uncertainty, Leanna uses electronics as a way to explore the heroine’s subconscious fear. What stories did she have to tell herself in order to survive? What stories do we tell ourselves in our moments of uncertainty?
As is typical of her current work, Leanna creates the overarching musical structure based on the Golden Ratio (φ). Her use of this ‘divine proportion’ is especially interesting, as she creates the overarching form of the work based on the calculations of time rather than on number of notes or measures.
Taking advantage of the title 1001, Leanna uses the palindrome (the same forward as backward) within the Golden Ratio structure. When the work reaches the climax at the Golden Ratio (5:30), the music begins in reverse but in a compressed retelling. She feels this is a way to help listeners experience transformation in music, as they are caught between memory and recognition as the music curves back on itself in an almost nostalgic way.
For more information, please visit Leanna’s website and bio page on Subito Music